Pick n' Mix: Part 2

This week's pick n' mix edition is a combination of old favourites, new discoveries and ones to watch. 

Silk Road

Silk Road is probably my most frequented restaurant, with my first visit being way back in March 2010. Since then birthdays have been celebrated birthdays there, I've had girly catch-ups and reunion dinners and even a date (though going with more people is recommended - those dishes, they big). The old favourites are still as amazing as ever - home-style aubergine and home-style cabbage will always perplex me as to how they could be so tasty. Cucumbers in hot sauce, lamb skewers and fried dumplings are staples, and more recently we've branched out to other noodle dishes, most notably the one pictured; Xinjiang fried noodles with lamb. I've never spent more than £20 there - I've never left anything less than stuffed. 

49 Camberwell Church Street, London SE5 8TR

Ambriento

Staying local, Ambriento is a taco truck on North Cross road's Saturday market in East Dulwich. More Global-Mex than strictly traditional, they don't churn their tacos out quickly but the tequila-battered fish taco I had, garnished with julienned vegetables and hot salsas was brilliant. £5.50 for two makes a light meal or a good snack. 

Taqueria

More traditional tacos are to be found on the other side of town at Taqueria in Westbourne Grove. The tacos were just like the ones I had in Mexico City (though several times the price). A busy little place, the staff were super-friendly and indulged our request for an off-menu mezcal margarita. Tacos al pastor (pictured) contained lovely spiced pork and barbecued pineapple and were the pick of an excellent bunch. 

139-143 Westbourne Grove, London W11 2RS

Pitt Cue Co.

Is there any mashed potato finer than Pitt Cue Co.'s bone marrow mash? Admittedly not the most attractive of names if you're a touch squeamish but the hint of garlic and rich, meaty sauce that encircles the mound of mash makes this one of their finest sides. I lamented the loss of the burnt ends mash, but this is a more than ample replacement. 

1 Newburgh St  London W1F 7RB

Check On is a new venture from George Craig and (ex-Hix) Terry Edwards; they previously did a 2 night pop-up, Northern Invasion and are now doing Sunday lunches at The Endurance in the form of 'Hen Party'. Celebrating all things chicken, I was invited to the first one and the 4 course menu is a fun play on the bird - 'tea and dumplings' is a consomme served from a teapot, while the main event is a deboned chicken, stuffed and roasted. Served on a board to carve yourself, there are no fiddly bones to deal with, and skinny truffle chips to dip into the gravy. I'd recommend snagging the leg bit just above the gnarly claw as it was ridiculously tasty; and the dessert was a clever and delicious play on egg and soldiers. There are still tickets for their 28th April date and they're also on Twitter, for all upcoming events. 

Chilli Con Carne

A Texan woman once told me "only poor people and vegetarians put beans in" so I suppose this here is a Texan-style chilli con carne. After relentless experimentation, I've managed to make the most flavoursome chilli to date and the trick was to make it as simple as possible. No beans. No tomatoes.

A combination of ancho chilli, cascabel, chipotle and one small habernero was to be my chilli base (you can buy these at Casa Mexico) and a scotch bonnet was thrown in for some ferociousness. The result was a deep, smoky building heat quite unlike any other, with a layer of fruitiness from the scotch bonnet. Scooped up with tortilla chips (I deep fried corn tortillas...) and salsa, the textural difference in using chunks of beef rather than mince is stark. It's messy but I prefer having more texture to get my teeth around.


Chilli Con Carne

Serves 6ish

450gr braising steak
450gr beef shin
2 cascabel chillis
1 ancho chilli
1 habenero chilli
2 chipotle chillis in adobo
1 scotch bonnet
2 tsp Mexican oregano (or use normal)
1 large onion
1 carrot
2 ribs of celery
6 fat cloves of garlic
1 stick of cinnamon
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 can of lager
500ml of beef stock

Chop the meat into chunks and brown well. Remove from the pan. Meanwhile, rehydrate the habenero, cascabel and ancho chillis in hot water. Dice the onion, carrot and celery and mince the garlic. Throw this into the pan to fry in the beef juices and fat. Cook slowly until softened and lightly golden. Mince the chillis with the chipotles and add to the onion mixture with the oregano. Add the beef back in and then add the cumin and cinnamon stick. Stir well.

Add the can of lager and then bring to the simmer. It will be all foamy but will calm down. Simmer until reduced by half, then add the beef stock and simmer slowly for at least 4 hours. Check it occasionally and add water if it becomes too dry. It tastes better the next day, but is still pretty damn good on the same day.

Wrap It

I love eating with my hands. It's rather more fun than using a knife and fork, or chopsticks and it can be messy. Who doesn't like a bit of mess? So things like wraps, chappatis and other dipping implements are popular with me.

These fajita-style wraps were also a good way of using up excess salad ingredients that I had lurking around the fridge. That lonely chicory was sliced thinly along with a slightly squidgy red pepper. The lettuce which was wilting around the edges was plunged into ice-cold water for a refresh, and then dried and shredded. A salsa was made with a little chopped coriander, chilli, spring onion and garlic and also a guacamole using the same ingredients plus lime juice.

The steak was he most time consuming part of this extremely quick meal as it was marinaded before being grilled to medium rare.

Marinated Steak

For two, as part of the wraps

1 450gr sirloin steak
2 springs of thyme, chopped finely
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 Asian shallots, chopped finely
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp ground cumin
A grinding of salt and pepper

Combine the marinade in a bowl, and add the steak. Massage the mixture into the steak and leave for at least 1/2 an hour, or over-night if possible. Grill or griddle the steak for until medium rare and allow it to rest for 15 mins under foil, before slicing into strips.

The wraps were great, especially with a little grated cheese added. I always keep a packet of flour tortilla wraps in the cupboard as they last forever and make a quick dinner, such as this one.